Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education
Also called: Instructional Assistant, Paraeducator, Paraprofessional, TA (Teacher Assistant)Assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher with instructional duties. Serve in a position for which a teacher has primary responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 10 of its 28 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 0.3% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
BLS figures cover the broader occupation “Teaching assistants, except postsecondary”, which includes this one and others.
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.7% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Teaching assistants”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.8 hires for every 10 job openings in private educational services, which employs about 85% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $24,070 | $22,550 to $27,820 | 10,140 |
| Alaska | $37,190 | $29,390 to $47,090 | 3,810 |
| Arizona | $35,900 | $33,690 to $38,570 | 25,280 |
| Arkansas | $28,790 | $25,760 to $34,220 | 11,270 |
| California | $46,490 | $39,590 to $49,550 | 177,140 |
| Colorado | $35,760 | $30,800 to $43,900 | 21,910 |
| Connecticut | $38,110 | $34,390 to $45,860 | 19,740 |
| Delaware | $37,830 | $34,900 to $46,300 | 5,040 |
| District of Columbia | $46,920 | $40,080 to $49,330 | 3,950 |
| Florida | $34,430 | $30,230 to $36,790 | 54,530 |
| Georgia | $28,770 | $23,120 to $35,750 | 33,410 |
| Guam | $21,250 | $21,200 to $27,280 | 180 |
| Hawaii | $36,810 | $35,840 to $45,470 | 5,470 |
| Idaho | $35,560 | $29,460 to $38,010 | 8,710 |
| Illinois | $36,990 | $31,360 to $44,790 | 64,210 |
| Indiana | $33,300 | $29,190 to $36,980 | 28,450 |
| Iowa | $30,510 | $28,060 to $35,530 | 24,520 |
| Kansas | $29,490 | $23,930 to $35,510 | 20,000 |
| Kentucky | $30,160 | $27,810 to $37,100 | 16,330 |
| Louisiana | $27,400 | $22,070 to $33,410 | 14,530 |
| Maine | $46,750 | $38,630 to $49,990 | 8,700 |
| Maryland | $37,060 | $34,520 to $48,090 | 23,340 |
| Massachusetts | $39,380 | $32,870 to $48,870 | 39,210 |
| Michigan | $35,110 | $30,040 to $37,960 | 39,030 |
| Minnesota | $40,100 | $36,860 to $46,890 | 38,540 |
| Mississippi | $25,840 | $22,040 to $29,000 | 9,750 |
| Missouri | $36,300 | $29,070 to $40,110 | 20,930 |
| Montana | $34,750 | $29,390 to $37,510 | 3,930 |
| Nebraska | $35,160 | $28,080 to $37,850 | 11,190 |
| Nevada | $31,900 | $30,810 to $39,500 | 7,100 |
| New Hampshire | $38,440 | $36,090 to $45,790 | 7,880 |
| New Jersey | $37,290 | $34,040 to $45,350 | 55,580 |
| New Mexico | $35,900 | $28,990 to $43,580 | 8,970 |
| New York | $38,240 | $35,670 to $46,700 | 137,820 |
| North Carolina | $29,790 | $28,110 to $35,600 | 32,150 |
| North Dakota | $38,240 | $35,990 to $44,570 | 5,600 |
| Ohio | $35,920 | $29,240 to $39,550 | 47,300 |
| Oklahoma | $27,920 | $21,930 to $32,940 | 13,860 |
| Oregon | $39,850 | $35,860 to $47,180 | 23,030 |
| Pennsylvania | $34,740 | $29,090 to $37,500 | 48,310 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,180 | $22,660 to $24,630 | 9,910 |
| Rhode Island | $37,220 | $31,200 to $44,000 | 5,200 |
| South Carolina | $27,860 | $23,110 to $36,000 | 14,410 |
| South Dakota | $28,220 | $26,530 to $30,990 | 4,650 |
| Tennessee | $29,210 | $23,710 to $36,870 | 23,280 |
| Texas | $29,850 | $24,210 to $36,380 | 108,960 |
| Utah | $37,050 | $32,260 to $43,180 | 18,170 |
| Vermont | $43,800 | $36,040 to $47,540 | 4,960 |
| Virgin Islands | $37,710 | $37,710 to $37,880 | 400 |
| Virginia | $38,520 | $32,590 to $46,630 | 31,370 |
| Washington | $49,120 | $43,270 to $58,080 | 43,420 |
| West Virginia | $29,800 | $28,920 to $35,550 | 5,110 |
| Wisconsin | $37,800 | $35,350 to $42,590 | 26,520 |
| Wyoming | $36,100 | $31,000 to $38,170 | 3,680 |
Nationally: $36,780. State figures are for BLS's “Teaching assistants, except postsecondary”. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 10 of its 28 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips. | Not published |
| Not much | Tutor and assist children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Discuss assigned duties with classroom teachers to coordinate instructional efforts. | Not published |
| Not much | Teach social skills to students. | Not published |
| Not much | Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Enforce administration policies and rules governing students. | Not published |
See all 28 tasks
| Not much | Present subject matter to students under the direction and guidance of teachers, using lectures, discussions, supervised role-playing methods, or by reading aloud. | Not published |
| Not much | Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct demonstrations to teach skills, such as sports, dancing, and handicrafts. | Not published |
| Not much | Organize and supervise games and other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, and social development. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Observe students' performance, and record relevant data to assess progress. | Not published |
| Not much | Distribute teaching materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, papers, and pencils, to students. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean classrooms. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare lesson materials, bulletin board displays, exhibits, equipment, and demonstrations. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Requisition and stock teaching materials and supplies. | Not published |
| AI + software | Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their eye levels and perceptual skills. | Not published |
| Not much | Laminate teaching materials to increase their durability under repeated use. | Not published |
| AI + software | Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Type, file, and duplicate materials. | Not published |
| AI + software | Take class attendance and maintain attendance records. | Not published |
| AI alone | Plan, prepare, and develop various teaching aids, such as bibliographies, charts, and graphs. | 0.05% |
| AI alone | Maintain computers in classrooms and laboratories, and assist students with hardware and software use. | Not published |
| Not much | Distribute tests and homework assignments and collect them when they are completed. | Not published |
| Not much | Assist in bus loading and unloading. | Not published |
| AI + software | Participate in teacher-parent conferences regarding students' progress or problems. | Not published |
| Not much | Operate and maintain audio-visual equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Collect money from students for school-related projects. | Not published |
| AI + software | Grade homework and tests, and compute and record results, using answer sheets or electronic marking devices. | under 0.01% |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 7 of the 28 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 28 tasks fall under 19 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #23 Prepare informational or instructional materials
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitor individual behavior or performance | |||
| Prepare informational or instructional materials | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Teach academic or vocational subjects | |||
| Distribute materials, supplies, or resources | |||
| Set up classrooms, facilities, educational materials, or equipment | |||
| Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products | |||
| Advise others on educational or vocational matters |
Show all 19 activities
| Maintain electronic, computer, or other technical equipment | |||
| Teach life skills | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Operate audiovisual or related equipment | |||
| Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures | |||
| Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance | |||
| Train others to use equipment or products | |||
| Collaborate in the development of educational programs | |||
| Collect fares or payments | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Serve on organizational committees |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A presentation or slides33%
- A document or report19%
- Teaching material15%
- A chart or visualization10%
- An explanation or answer5%
How they worked with Claude
19% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for teaching assistants, preschool, elementary, middle, and secondary school, except special education specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 1% less than high school
- 27% high school
- 20% postsecondary certificate
- 17% some college
- 3% associate's
- 16% bachelor's
- 15% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 18 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 6% less than high school
- 27% high school
- 24% some college
- 12% associate's
- 22% bachelor's
- 8% master's
- 1% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Teaching assistants” · 17,826 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Teaching assistants”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
50.2% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| a certification | 13.2% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 5.6% | 2.8% |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (Paraeducator (NOF); TEACHER AIDE I). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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